"Effective teaching may be the hardest job there is." William Glasser

I want you to read the title quote again. "Effective teaching may be the hardest job there is." If you are a teacher or in any field of education, you will agree completely with the Glasser, quote.   I would like to add my own sentiment to his thought - it is even harder to teach when you are not feeling well.  I have been under the weather for several months now, and so many mornings when I have awakened and felt very “blah”, I have been extremely thankful that I am now retired and that I did not have to drag myself out of bed and stand up and talk all day, nor did I have to complete all of the tasks and decisions required in the “normal” day of a teacher (if there is such a thing.)  I remember when I was taking Staff Development class years ago, and during the first class, the question was posed:  How many decisions does the average teacher make in a day?  Guesses ranged from 50 to several hundred, but no one was even close.  The answer- and this will astound you- was 5000.  It is difficult enough to make all of these decisions when you are feeling your best during the school day, but just trying to function with a fever and the dry heaves makes the task of decision making almost impossible. During the school day, teachers never have the luxury of truly being “off.”  Teaching is not like other professions, because even if you are really sick and calling off work, you still have to do the lesson plan for the day and the clean up after a day of being off.   Some executive, when ill, simply call their offices to say they will “work from home”; and others may  go to the office, close the door, and have the secretary “hold all my calls.”  Of course, they do not have 30 students waiting impatiently and asking “Mrs. Rittman, what are we going to do in class today?”  I still shudder when I think of being sick and facing all of those classes, but the show did go on!  Sometimes with a movie, but it went on nonetheless!

Please tell your students about appropriate behavior when a substitute teacher has to be in the classroom.  Let them know your rules and expectations, and also let them know that there will be consequences if the rules are broken.  Set your bar high and your students will behave appropriately.

I am offering some advice from the Bunny Teacher to all of you teachers out there:  if you are feeling sick and puny halfway through the day, put something together for the next day and leave it on your desk for the substitute.  Even if you are back the next day and feeling better, you win, as your lesson is ready to go.  If you are sick, the only message you have to leave is “Everything is on my desk.”  Another suggestion is this: in order to make life easier for you when you are sick, you should make a Substitute Folder for any teacher who substitutes for you.  Inside this folder, place a copy of your seating charts, a list of any duties you have, a list of any para-professionals or aides in your classroom who might be able to help out, and a list of any additional information that you think would help the substitute to perform in your classroom.  I remember that I listed one or two students per class period who would assist with attendance, handing out papers, etc.  I also had a bell schedule, along with a “Welcome” letter.  Through the years, the substitutes did a good job because they had a plan to follow as well as the tools to assist them.  Keep the folder someplace safe.

May I also suggest that you always have a one day “Emergency Plan” to use in case the unexpected occurs or if you suddenly must be absent without the ability to plan.  Make it a fun lesson in which everyone can participate, and tell the students it will count as a small grade.  I had to use this type of plan several times throughout my teaching career, and having a fun plan made the day easy for the substitute and fun for my students.  Since I taught English, I usually had some word game planned and I allowed the students to work in pairs.  Learning still happened, along with the relaxation and fun.   I had the Emergency Plan in a safe place in my desk.

Schools are germ factories, and it is almost impossible to be a teacher without getting sick sometimes.  Just try to make things easier on yourself when you do have to take some time off.

Rittman Publishing, LLC

“I never teach my pupils, I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.” Albert Einstein

At North Allegheny Intermediate High School, when the Easter Break was finished and the students came back to school, the teaching process grew even more arduous than at any other time of the school year.  I believe the same is true from year to year.   Why?  The sun is shining, students are yearning to be outside after the confinement of winter, most are no longer interested in learning, and to quote my late, great, former principal, “The sap is flowing.”

Dilemma:  What to do in this circumstance? 

Answer:  Keep teaching!

I advise discussing the student “shut down” with the students.  Be a motivational speaker for them!  Let them know that their work stoppage now will directly affect their overall grade for the year, which is a motivator by itself (or at least it was in my district.)  I always told my students that I had “saved” some of my favorite and most valuable lessons for the after-Easter doldrums so that I could re-ignite their desire to learn, and that for some of the class, these would be their favorite lessons of the school year.

Although this point of the year is laborious for the teacher as well (it is tough to do standup comedy before an audience that isn't laughing), keep your energy level up!  Walk around the room even more to raise each student’s level of concern.  Create some hands-on or pair share activities that allow the kids to interact with each other a bit more than usual and help them to use their energy in a positive way.

You can do it.  YOU ARE A TEACHER!  

I welcome comments, opinion, and feedback, as well as suggestions for topics.

Rittman Publishing, LLC

“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. We need not wait to see what others do.” Ghandi

This week, the educational world was rocked by a serious incident of multiple stabbings in a well-respected suburban Pittsburgh high school. I, like many others, was glued to the television set as the terrible tragedy unfolded.  The viewing public was left with one question:  Why?

Although I do not know that answer, I do know that while listening to KDKA radio a few days after the stabbings, the announcer said that there have been over 500 acts of violence in the nation’s schools since Columbine occurred on April 20, 1999.  I was a classroom teacher that day, and I remember the terror that my students felt as the news was reported.  I remember how many students asked me a seemingly simple question:  “Am I safe at school?”  Although I said “Yes” in 1999, I am not sure that is the correct answer today.

I am 61 years old, and my teaching career began in 1974.  Nothing like shootings or stabbings occurred.  I believe Columbine was the game changer.  Principals and administrators provide anti-bullying programs.  In some cases, the ratio of counselors to students has improved.  And yet, our students are both angry and unhappy.  I am going to venture a reason for this anger and unhappiness.

The world is so fast paced and so expensive, that to support a family, both parents are working full time.  Little time is left for family dinners and conversations.  The personal connection is broken in the family, and I think children want more.  They will say they want more “stuff”- an Iphone, a car, cool clothes, a coach bag, etc.  I am going to venture a guess and give an opinion; one that 37 years in the classroom formed for me. I think students want more of a family life, and more caring and involved parents. Many of the students I knew through the years had what I call a “nodding” relationship with their parents.  They nodded at each other when they saw one another, and sometimes had a stilted conversation of “How’s school?”  “Fine.”  But there was no real connection or caring.  Kids would tell me that they wished their parents would ask them real questions and actually LISTEN to what they had to say.

I will take this one step further, and say that the nation’s children are mirror images of their parents.  If the parents are angry and unhappy, the children are too.  Parents are their child’s first teacher, and kids will copy what they see.  I know that the world is a difficult place to be, but it is also a beautiful place to be.  I believe it is especially beautiful if you are lucky enough to have children.  Think of it; you are giving the world your own personal legacy.

I say that your children are well worth the extra effort to prepare time for a family dinner and conversation a few times each week, and to show them a positive attitude. Home, like school, should be a place where our children feel safe and loved and valued. Ask questions and listen when your children talk.  They love you and desire your attention and love in return.  Just as teachers are role models every minute of their lives, so are parents.  Try to be what you want your children to be.  And give them an extra hug after you finish reading this.  They are a part of you and they deserve the best you have to offer. 

Rittman Publishing, LLC

“Be not another, if you can be yourself. ” ― Paracelsus

                                                                    Quote Fancy

Teaching is really more of a balancing act than most people know or understand.  And as the teacher, even as you perform in front of your class countless times and hours per day, you must be yourself, as it is just too difficult to try to be someone else.  I have always had pity for the teachers who must wear a mask of competence, never lowering the mask to show the real person beneath the mask.  Although you must never cross the line to become “friends” with your students, I have found that self-disclosure is an important part of the teaching process.  Just as you like to have a trusting relationship with the mechanic who fixes your car or the stylist who cuts your hair, personal relationships and trust are also important in the classroom.  Students enjoy being in a classroom in which they feel they know a little about you as a person.  I am not advocating sharing your total life with your classes, but I believe it is a good idea to give students an appropriate peek at your personal life, and to always be yourself.  Students love seeing pictures of your children, your husband, and your pets; family pictures on your desk will generate conversations that would never have happened without the pictures.  Students will see you as more of a “person” and less as just the “teacher,” and you will also notice a difference in behavior.  When students feel that they have a personal relationship with you, discipline problems diminish, as your conversations with them show students that you value them enough to share some personal snippets of your life with them.   All the better if you live in the community in which you teach, as students will enjoy seeing you in restaurants, the mall, the library, or the grocery store with your families, because it helps them to see who you really are outside of the classroom setting.  Meeting the parents under non-school circumstances is also an underestimated pleasantry.  As I reflect upon the chance encounters with students that I had through the years, I remember that I always made sure to say something positive to the parents about their child.  (No matter how old we are, everyone likes to hear praise from the teacher!)  A casual conversation at the mall is a nice way to be introduced to the parents, who will see you as a real person.  Later on in the school year, should you need to speak to parents about a school issue, you will already have met the parent and know a bit about the family, and both will be to your benefit.

Part of this self-disclosure/being yourself is this: students have a strong need to feel that their teacher “likes” them.  When you have a pre-class conversation about going to a movie or seeing a concert or sporting event, that conversation helps the students to connect with you personally.  Be sure to give these conversations your full attention.  Your keen listening will show that you value students’ opinions and care about their ideas, thus making them feel that they are “liked” by the teacher. 

Several times in my career, I used the idea of being “liked” to my advantage.  Through the years, I had many students who were not completing their work and handing it in.  I would see them individually, and ask about the work.  When they would not have a good reason for not doing the work, I would look them straight in the eyes and ask “Don’t you like me anymore?  I am doing all I can to help you to learn, and then you are not doing your part.  I have the feeling that you don’t like me anymore. That hurts my feelings.”  The student would inevitably get upset and say something like “Yes, Mrs. Rittman, I still like you.  I didn’t know you cared so much about this.  I will do the work.  May I have another day or two to finish it and hand it in?”  Of course, I always said yes.  The student/teacher relationship is a precarious one, but handling students with kindness and respect, being yourself, and sharing who you are will help you in every aspect of your classroom. 

Rittman Publishing, LLC

For updates on Dede’s soon to be published book RITTMAN RULES!  A Practical Guide for Student Teaching, please visit https://www.facebook.com/rittmanrules

"The most valuable resource that all teachers have is each other. Without collaboration our growth is limited to our own perspectives." - Robert John Meehan

Teaching in a junior high or high school is like teaching inside a treasure chest of information. With every department having its specialties, a person can discover the answer to practically any question.  I remember once when our power went off for almost fourteen hours, and I questioned which foods in the refrigerator would still be good and which ones I should throw away.  I went straight to the Home Economics department for the answer, and of course, they knew.   Another time, I needed the electric plug replaced on a lamp cord, as Binky Rittman, my pet bunny, had chewed the entire cord.  I took the lamp directly to the Tech Ed wing to be repaired.  Additionally, I had a question about one of my sick houseplants. I went to see the biology teacher in charge of the school greenhouse, and the sick plant was cured.  Although all of this shared information was terrific, I found that it was even better for my students when collaborating within my own department.

When I taught at Penn Hills for the first two years of my career, three of us teaching ninth grade English were new hires.  Penn Hills was so massive in the 1970's; the Intermediate High School building had only two grades and over 2750 students.  A curriculum coordinator was responsible for shuttling the books from one teacher to another, so when it was your turn to teach a specific unit, there were no extra days; you simply had to teach each unit in the allotted time.  As three new hires, all of this new material to learn and then teach was overwhelming, so the three of us decided we would divide the preparation and lessons for the units and share our materials with the others.   This really was a great idea.  Because we three came from varied backgrounds in both colleges and student teaching experiences, the sharing of lessons made a great year for all of us and our students.

My third year of teaching, I left Penn Hills and went to North Allegheny, where the building climate was not one of collaboration, and I was the only new English teacher.  Although I loved my colleagues, no one offered me any help or ideas with a curriculum which was totally new to me.  At a department meeting part way through the school year, I offered to share the lessons I was creating and I proposed a sharing forum.  Everyone agreed, and some said aloud that they actually wondered why sharing materials and collaboration was not already happening. Through the years, many in-service days were actually dedicated to the collaboration process, as the education gurus recognized its importance.  Those days were always the very best possible in-service days. The department collaboration continues even though I am retired.  By the way, I am still sharing, too.  I had the opportunity to meet the two new department members at a party, and both were lamenting that they did not know what they were going to do to prepare for the upcoming JULIUS CAESAR unit.  I emailed my study guide, quizzes, test, and fun activities and worksheets to them shortly thereafter, and both were very grateful. I asked only that they pay it forward, and keep the legacy of collaboration continuing.

As a new teacher, you must ask for help if you need it, remembering that sharing means giving as well as receiving.  As an experienced teacher, extending yourself to someone new is a caring gesture, and one in which you, too, will benefit, as you share your strategies and ideas.  I often think of those first years of teaching, and just how overwhelming it was to prepare for hours for a forty minute lesson, and then have to do that same amount of work for the next day, sometimes just staying one day ahead of the students.

Through all my years of teaching, many of the English Department student teachers went on to be gainfully employed in other districts, and I would receive a phone call, letter, or email asking if I could send my “stuff” to them, because their new district used the NA text book.  I was always happy to accommodate these requests, remembering the difficulty and stress of being a new teacher.  I know that there will be those individuals who do not want to share or collaborate.  I consider them to be insignificant in the scope of education; if they were true educators, they would do anything, including sharing materials and ideas, to enhance the teaching and learning process.

I hope you will give sharing a try.  Collaboration in a school setting enriches the teachers, the students, and the overall work and classroom experience for everyone. 

Please leave me a comment or suggestion about this blog or any other one.  I want to collaborate with all of you, my readers by knowing what topics are important to you.  Have a great week at school.

"No one has yet fully realized the wealth of sympathy, kindness, and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure."- Emma Golmam

I really loved being a classroom teacher for 37 years, and I still miss being in my own classroom every day.  In fact, if my husband had not been diagnosed with stage four colon cancer in 2009, I would have taught for forty years, with this school year, 2013-2014, being number forty.  Throughout those 37 years, I always made the effort to be compassionate and considerate to every student, especially those students who were not kind to others.  I always felt that they needed some extra special attention.  Many times for those students, my attempt at kindness took a Herculean effort, but it was an effort that I felt was necessary. Part of my philosophy of teaching has always been that standing in front of a classroom is not about teaching a subject; but rather, about teaching human beings, and to get the best from human beings, teachers must show students that they are valued.  I believe that we, as teachers, lead by example, and I do believe that the maxim “Actions speak louder than words” is especially true where young people are concerned.  As I wrote in my book Rittman Rules!, students are constantly scrutinizing the teacher – what you wear, how you look, your body language, your mannerisms, and your actions. Teachers share many lessons every day without even realizing it.

I have been very fortunate to have my many kindnesses returned throughout the years I taught.  I probably have hundreds of great stories, but I am choosing to share one with you today that is very close to my heart.  I want you to see and feel the kindness and generosity and sympathy that I felt from my students, and you will understand why I chose that particular Emma Golmam quote to introduce this blog.

My late husband, Scott, was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer on December 12, 2009, a few weeks before the Christmas vacation.  Many students knew Scott from our years of co-directing the school talent shows and musicals, as well as from Scott’s volunteer assistant coaching position on the Varsity Boys’ Golf Team, for which I am the head coach.  Additionally, Scott would stop by the school and my classroom occasionally, and I always introduced him to my students at the football games, track meets, library, or wherever we happened to bump into students.  Additionally, I showed some clips of Scott on stage in my Theater classes, and Scott and I worked on a recorded oral presentation of the trial scene in To Kill a Mockingbird, so all of my students felt like they knew him, at least a little.

After Scott’s seven hour surgery and ten days in the hospital, he came home to recuperate two days before Christmas.  School had been out for several days, but I was not able to go to school and have any interaction with my students, except to email my substitute and ask her to tell my students that I missed them.  All educators know that in sickness and in health, the teacher’s responsibilities never stop. A teacher friend called to say she was going to stop by to drop off a few papers for me to grade; after all, I had not been in school for almost two weeks.  Upon opening the bag of  what I thought were essays, inside were at least two handmade cards from every one of the students in my five classes - a get well card for Scott, and a Christmas card for the two of us, or a card of encouragement for me.  The messages were heartfelt and sincere (I am crying as I am typing this, just thinking about it), and they were exactly the lift we both needed after Scott’s long stretch in the hospital.  They wrote letters, made up funny poems, and collaborated on both long and short notes of encouragement.  Unbelievably, some of them wrote the very words that we had said to them earlier in the school year!  One boy wrote to Scott:  “Mr. Rittman, you told me not to give up when I was trying out for the golf team, and you were there to cheer me on.  Well, I’m telling you not to give up just because you have cancer, and I am here to cheer YOU on.”  One of my more difficult students wrote “You were really nice to me even when I wasn't nice to you.  I am sorry that your life is so sad now, and I hope it gets better soon.”  We were stunned by the generosity of spirit, the sympathy and love, and the true sense of kindness and caring that we received from all of the students.  All of the kindness and concern that Scott and I had shown the students as role models was reflected in these earnest and genuine notes and letters.  These gifts of cards and letters were exactly what we needed to help us through the most frightening time in our marriage.  We both cried with joy as we read the notes aloud to each other.  I have these precious manuscripts tucked inside a box filled with classroom memories, and I will never throw them away.

Kindness inspires more kindness, and in the relationship between teacher and student, kindness and caring are of the utmost importance. Scott and I were so fortunate to receive such a wealth of sympathy, kindness, and generosity from my students.  And so, the lesson is learned.  

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” - Charles Dickens

It is virtually impossible for students to learn when they are dealing with painful issues at home.  As teachers, we cannot control the events and relationships in the student’s family, unless abuse is suspected, which must be reported immediately to your principal.  I urge you to care enough to ask a student why he or she is not performing in your classroom.  Of course, you must first gain that student’s trust, and you must not be afraid to show your concern for his or her well-being.

Many years ago, I had a very bright young woman in my tenth grade English II class.  During class time, she participated, she was interested, and she led the classroom discussions with fresh ideas and a insightful perspectives.  I saw a huge red flag in her behavior, however, because she never handed in one assignment.  Never. Not even a partially completed assignment. I asked her about her lack of work on several occasions, but she was never able to look me in the eye with a straight answer.  During the next few weeks, I continued to give her kudos in the classroom, but her grade was suffering.  I asked her to stay after class one day, and I sat in a student desk and invited her to sit at the desk next to me. (I wanted her to know that we were on the same level, which is why I did not sit at my desk and ask her to stand. I wanted to communicate to her that I cared for her as a person, not just as my student, with no “I am the teacher” body language.)  I leaned forward and earnestly asked “Are you ready to tell me why you can’t do any homework at home?”  I was flabbergasted by her disclosure, and you will be, too.  I have never forgotten the look on her face as she summoned the courage to speak through her tears:  “My mom leaves for work when I get home from school.  I gather my baby sister and her diaper bag, and my mom drops us off at the mall.  I walk around carrying my sister in my arms until my mom picks us up when the mall closes.  If I stay home, my dad will sexually molest me or my sister, and I don’t want him to touch my sister and ruin her the way he ruined me.”

I cried with her and told her how much I appreciated her honesty.  I let her know that I would speak to her guidance counselor. She was okay with that, as she had been bearing this terrible secret for a long time. I notified the Guidance office and the Principal, who notified Children and Youth Services.  Teachers are not permitted to know what actions are taken, but her name was taken off my roster and marked “moved”, so I can only hope that she was removed from the unsafe environment and placed in foster care, or that she fled with her mom and left the dad behind.  I just hope she went someplace safe.  She felt safe in school, and excelled while she was there. I hope she became a teacher.

Students have problems that you and I can never even imagine.  The learning process is difficult enough without having the added burden of problems at home.  Be open to student needs. Seek help for students who need help.  Students bring their baggage from home to school every day.  Be the kind of teacher who helps them to store it, rather than carry it. 

Rittman Publishing, LLC